Poker news source: Lebanon Daily News - http://www.ldnews.com/
N. Lebanon man goes all in for poker hobby
By DAVID MEKEEL
Staff Writer
Ed Boehler knew the odds were long — and he knows a lot about odds.
Just over a month ago, the North Lebanon Township man found himself sitting at a poker table in Las Vegas with all of his chips in the pot. When the final card was dealt, Boehler lost.
But this wasn’t an average loss, and this wasn’t an average poker tournament. The 40-year-old father of two had just had his first taste of the World Series of Poker — the biggest poker tournament on the planet.
Like many amateur poker players, Boehler, who lives at 845 Jay St., got hooked on the game after watching Chris Moneymaker win the World Series of Poker three years ago. Moneymaker, who found his way into the tournament by playing poker on the Internet, became an instant celebrity when his win was televised on ESPN.
“I thought, ‘If he can do it, anybody can do it,’” Boehler said. “If he can do it, I can do it.”
Boehler began playing on various poker Web sites, getting a few games in before bed each night. As he learned, he started entering online tournaments, occasionally placing high enough to earn seats at bigger online tournaments, where players could qualify for the World Series.
But, he said, he usually sold his passes to the bigger tournaments to other players, opting for the sure money instead of trying his hand at the bigger score.
His journey to the World Series started just like any other of the many tournaments in which Boehler played. The buy-in was $17, and he played cautiously, waiting for good hands and letting other players bow out. Soon enough, Boehler had made it far enough to win a seat at a World Series-qualifying tournament, worth $350.
This time, however, Boehler decided to keep the seat and test his luck.
After more than eight hours in front of the computer, Boehler realized a trip to the World Series could be a reality.
“I was more nervous during that tournament than I was in Vegas,” he said. “I kept getting up and telling her (wife Sue) that we were going to Vegas. She had already gone to bed; it was after 1 a.m.”
Boehler made the cut, and on Saturday, July 29, he found himself sitting in the middle of 2,200 hopeful poker players in a Las Vegas casino on that first day. In total, more than 8,800 players participated.
“It was amazing,” he said. “It was a madhouse. Everyone was there. Everyone I’ve ever watched play on TV I met in person.”
He ran into poker star Phil Ivey in the bathroom. He met actor Norm McDonald in a hallway. Turning around while sitting at his table, he caught a glimpse of cast members from “That 70s Show.”
Putting his awe aside, Boehler went to the task of playing cards. He said his strategy was to be conservative, only playing the best hands and letting other players waste their chips. After a long first day, he was still there.
“The first day we played from noon to about 3 a.m.,” he said. “It didn’t bother me one bit. I could have played 24 hours straight.”
His first big moment came with bluff, betting all his chips, even though he suspected the other player had him beat.
It worked.
“That’ll take a lot of nervousness out of you,” he said. “I was sitting there with my best poker face on, focusing on my breathing. It was such a relief when he folded.”
The tournament proceeded just like Boehler hoped it would. He stuck around through the first day and into the second, winning the few hands he played and slowly adding to his stack of chips.
But, on day two, everything went south. Boehler was dealt two aces, the best starting hand in Texas Hold ’Em.
“I saw these aces, and my heart started racing,” he said. “I wanted to make a killing on that hand.”
After the first round of betting, Boehler was facing two opponents. Sensing it was time to make a move, he went “all in,” betting everything he had. Both opponents called.
“They were both on draws,” he said. “The one guy had a flush draw, and the other had a straight draw.”
With two cards still to be dealt, Boehler knew he might be in trouble. But then the next card came out. An ace. He now had three of a kind.
Then, the final card. The seven of hearts. His opponent had made a straight, five cards in sequence.
“That ... seven of hearts comes out, and my head was spinning,” he said. “The next thing I know I’m in the parking lot walking away from the casino. That was awful.”
Boehler finished about 1,700th of those 8,800 players. Despite the loss, which he said he still thinks about every day, Boehler loved the experience. He said he is continuing to play poker online in hopes of winning seats to future tournaments.
And his wife, Sue, isn’t complaining too much. After all, she got to go to Vegas too. Along with the seat at the tournament, Boehler won $1,000 in travel expenses and nine nights in a hotel. Not a bad little vacation for Boehler, his wife, and their two children, 7-year-old Jesse and 6-year-old Cole — although Boehler wasn’t exactly in a festive mood.
“I wanted to go home,” he said. “When I got back to the hotel, I just wanted to leave. I wasn’t in the best mood.” |
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